Are you thinking about traveling to Belize? Well, you are in for a treat because Belize is a beautiful, unique, and amazing country. When I traveled to Belize, I was pleasantly surprised by its beauty, diversity, and friendly people. However, before you jump on a plane, there are some things to know before traveling to Belize and you are in luck my friend.
I’ll be sharing with you what to expect in Belize, different cities to travel to in Belize, the best things to do, how to get there, and all the Belize travel tips. Whether you are traveling solo, traveling with kids, or traveling as a couple, there are plenty of things for you to see and experience in Belize.
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What’s up with Belize?
Belize is a country on the east coast of Central America, bordering Guatemala on the west and Mexico to the North. Belize has 174 miles of coastline! Whoah! That’s a lot of water and beaches for you! Yes!
Then there’s the mainland which is known for its lush jungles, Mayan temples, wildlife, with plenty of adventurous things to do in Belize.
Then there are the Cayes, which are small islands surrounding the barrier reefs. Travelers flock to the Cayes because of their gorgeous stretches of beaches, scuba diving in the Belize barrier reefs, and its laid-back Caribbean vibes.
Knowing the type of land in Belize is a crucial tip to know before traveling to Belize, because this will help you plan your Belize travel itinerary accordingly.
Now, let’s get into things you need to know before traveling to Belize.
What part of Belize to travel?
Now that you’ve set your eyes on traveling to Belize, you need to figure out what part of Belize you want to visit.
The most popular cities to travel to in Belize are Hopkins, San Pedro, Caye Caulker, Placencia, Belize City, and San Ignacio.
Determining what area of Belize you want to visit depends on the type of activities you want to do. Do you want to chill out on the beach or go snorkeling? Or do you prefer to be in the jungles and do some thrilling excursions such as cave tubing?
Altrernatively, do you want to have a more cultural trip and see the Mayan Ruins? Deciding on the activities you want to partake in are helpful things you need to know before traveling to Belize.
Here’s a quick overview of the most popular cities people travel to in Belize.
- Belize City – When flying internationally, you will fly into Belize City first. Regardless of where you want to visit in Belize, you’ll be flying into Belize International Airport in Belize City. If you are coming from another country in Central America, then you could get there by ground transport or boat. Either way, Belize City is usually the starting base.
- San Pedro/Ambergris Caye – San Pedro is the largest island of Belize and is the most popular tourist destination. People travel here for the scuba diving and snorkeling in the iconic Belize Barrier Reef, beautiful beaches, and amazing restaurants, beach bars.
- Hopkins – A popular town in Belize known as the “the cultural epicenter” of the Garifuna people. People travel here to dive into the immense culture of the Garifuna people, enjoy traditional food, and mingle with the friendliest locals ever. Also, a home base to visit the southern barrier reef.
- Caye Caulker – Is another popular island with chill vibes. This island is much smaller than San Pedro and is divided by the Split. People go here for the snorkeling, it’s stunning white sand beaches, and to relax and “go slow”.
- Placencia – A seaside village located on the Southern coast of the peninsula. It is known for its 16 miles of beautiful beaches, scuba diving, and snorkeling in the southern barrier reefs and home base for exploring the Mayan ruins, wildlife, and swimming with whale sharks.
- San Ignacio is a town located in Western Belize. It is perfect for adventure seekers, hikers, and wildlife watchers. It is also known for its lush jungles, Mayan temples, and caves. Backpackers love it here and stay here as a home base for traveling to Guatemala as well.
How to get there?
You need to know before traveling to Belize what mode of transportation you want to take before touching down in Belize City. For instance, if you are traveling to one of the islands, such as San Pedro or Caye Caulker, you must take a ferry or a flight from Belize City to the islands. First, I’ll go over how to catch a ferry in Belize.
By ferry
Catching a ferry in Belize is a popular and budget-friendly option. First, go here to see the schedule for Belize Water Taxi. You can book online or buy the tickets when you get to the port. Luckily they run several times a day. You can buy one-way or round-trip tickets.
From Belize City to San Pedro, it only costs $31 one-way and $57 US dollars round trip per person. But first, you have to get to the water taxi port.
The water taxi is approximately a 25-minute drive from the airport. You can use shared transportation for $25 USD. Go to Belizewatertaxi.com for more info.
Oh and don’t be surprised if you don’t leave on time. We probably waited up to 30 minutes before actually leaving each time we took the ferry.
Here’s how long the ferry is from the cities:
Belize City – San Pedro 1 hr 30 min ; Belize City – Caye Caulker 45 minutes ; San Pedro to Caye Caulker – 30 minutes.
By plane
There are two domestic airlines in Belize: Tropic Air and Maya Island Air. Both are relatively the same price. Just pick your poison. You can book a one-way flight for around $84 or book a round trip for approximately $168.
We took a cute 12-passenger charter plane with Maya Island Air to see the incredible views everyone raves about from above. And the views did NOT disappoint. The water and landscapes from above are stunning.
Once you land in Belize City and go through customs, you must check into your flight from the mainland to the islands. The airport isn’t that big, we just asked one of the workers and they pointed us in the right direction, which was next door to arrivals.
We had about 3 hours before our flight left, just in case we had any issues with customs, but honestly getting through customs wasn’t that bad.
By ground transportation
If you are traveling to San Ignacio, Hopkins or Placenia you can take a shuttle from Belize City Airport. Another option is to take a Taxi or private car service to drive you to your hotel.
Travel to Belize entry requirements
Passport/Visa
Speaking of customs, the entry requirements of a country is one of the most important things you need to know before traveling to Belize. When traveling from the US, you need to have a passport that’ll be valid for the number of days of your visit.
A tourist visa is not required if you are visiting for less than 30 days. If you plan to stay longer than 30 days, you have to go back to the immigration office to get your passport stamped again and pay a fee. You can stay up to six months. After that, you will have to provide justification for wanting to stay longer.
Traveling with minor children
If you are traveling with minor children, you may be required to show a birth certificate to prove the child is yours. Showing proof helps combat human trafficking. If both parents aren’t traveling together, they will request a notarized letter from the other parent stating they agree with your travel with the kids.
Also, COVID-19 testing and other Vaccinations aren’t required.
Lastly, when leaving Belize, you’ll have to pay an exit fee, which is usually included in your airfare.
Click here for more info from the official US State website.
What to know about the money
Bringing some cold, hard cash is one of the things you need to know before traveling to Belize. Most places, like restaurants, bars, and hotels will accept USD, debit, and credit cards.
The local currency here is Belizean dollars, and the exchange rate is 2 – $1 USD. If you run out of money while there, don’t worry because there are places to get Belizean dollars like the ATM’s. My hotel had an ATM inside, so I trusted that one the most for getting BZD. You will get charged a currency exchange, so keep that in mind.
Belize travel tips: You can also do a money exchange at the airport too. Plus, I recommend carrying smaller bills, especially for tipping and shopping. The local establishments do appreciate tipping, and we tipped at all the restaurants we visited. We also tipped the staff at our hotel as well.
Best time to visit Belize
Picking the right time to take a trip is one of the biggest things to know before traveling to Belize. The Best time to visit is during the high season which is December – April. We traveled there in December, a week before Christmas, and the weather was perfect. It’s hot for the most part, but in the mornings and at night, it’s slightly cooler. I’d suggest bringing a light sweater for the cooler mornings/nights.
During the high season, the rain is very low. While I was there, we had sunny days with a cool breeze. June – October is the low season and that’s when the hurricane season and wet weather is. Plus, the hottest temperatures are during the summer months. It may be less tolerable to enjoy your time in the blazing heat.
Other Belize travel tips to know: During the low season, some of the hotels close due to low tourism and the rainy season makes some of the roads undrivealbe because they are too muddy and hazardous.
Is Belize safe?
Here are some things you need to know before traveling to Belize about safety. Some people who haven’t done their homework say it’s too dangerous to travel to Belize.
However, Belize is generally safe in most areas. In San Pedro and Caye Caulker, my daughter and I felt very safe. We didn’t have issues with people coming up to us and harassing us. We were pretty much left alone.
Is it safe for Americans to travel to Belize right now?
Despite that, according to the US State government, Belize is at Level 2 right now, meaning you should exercise increased caution. This is primarily in Belize City and rural areas along the borders. Crime in these areas is mainly due to gang-related activities.
A few Belize travel tips: If you decide to stay a day or 2 in Belize City, I recommend that you use extreme caution, don’t go out alone, be vigilant, and use a tour guide to explore. Be aware of scams and pickpocketers.
What to pack for Belize
Things to know before traveling to Belize is how to freakin dress right? Let me tell you, Belize is such a chill and laid-back country. Most people are dressed super casual. I recommend bringing casual shorts and tops, which are the best for chillin’ out. Of course, pack your swimwear and coverups for the beach and the pool.
For dinner, you can still wear casual clothing. I’d see some women wearing casual maxi dresses and short, flowy dresses. Then some of the men were wearing casual shorts and T-shits/Hawaii shirts as well. It wasn’t a big thing to dress formally here. In Caye Caulker, the street is literally a sand road, so bring some sandals, flip-flops, and water shoes for water activities.
I wore these sandals and they are great for walking around and they are water-friendly. Even some of the locals walk around the sandy roads bare foot.
It also depends on what type of activities you plan on doing. I always coordinate my outfits to the activities I’m doing while on vacation. For instance, if you are going to the jungle and seeing some Mayan ruins, then bring comfortable shoes.
Check out my carry-on packing hacks post here for more packing tips.
The local kids will try to sell you stuff
Now, most people probably wouldn’t tell you about this, but I’m here to give you the real deal. I had no problems with adults trying to sell things to us. B ut the kids are another thing. There were more kids trying to sell items to us than anything. They’ll hang out at the most visited/popular spots frequented by tourists.
While we were at the City centre, this one kid was trying to sell us some bracelets. Although he was persistent, he was harmless. We saw him a few times on different days, he was just out there trying to make a living. I posted a video on social media about him and turns out he’s a local superstar. Many people who have traveled to San Pedro have come across him.
Then, some kids came up to us while we were lounging at Secret Beach. My daughter wanted to contribute, so she bought a bracelet. Unfortunately, one of the little girls was a lil careless, and she spilled our $15 drink over. So sad, that drink was expensive.
So just don’t look away and keep your eyes on them. Another Belize travel tip: don’t pull all your money out either. Turn away from them when purchasing something. You don’t want them to see how much money you have on you. Other than a few kids trying to sell to us, it was pretty chill. Definetely not nearly as many hagglers I’ve encountered in different countries like Egypt and Morocco.
The language in Belize
Are you worried about not being able to understand the natives of Belize? Well don’t be, because the primary language in Belize is English. If this is your first time traveling internationally, this will be the perfect vacation for you. We had no issues getting around town and going to restaurants because they mostly spoke English.
However, English isn’t the only language they speak in Belize. You may hear some locals talking in their native tongue too such as Creole and Spanish.
Some people thought I spoke Creole. That’s because Creoles (of African and European descent) live in Belize. Then there are the Mestizos, which are people of (Mayan and Spanish mix) that speak Spanish. Both groups may speak a combination of both languages as their cultures have blended some.
Is it kid-friendly?
Is it kid-friendly are very important things to know before traveling to Belize for those with families. My daughter was 18, and she loved it. She loved how beautiful it was, the food, and the people.
There are plenty of activities for kids to do in Belize. If they love the water, they will love it here. The waters are so calm and is perfect for swimming. They’ll love playing on the white sand beaches, making sand castles.
Also, they would get a kick out of the marine life. They can swim and pet the sting rays. Snorkel in Belize’s Barrier Reef and see the fish, corals, etc.
Belize travel tips: If your kids aren’t into historical buildings, doing a lot of walking, etc, then you may want to skip sites like the Mayan ruins.
But, what kid doesn’t like to eat? They will have their fair share of some of the best Caribbean food, especially if they love seafood.
Now, if your family is the outdoorsy and wildlife seekers, you will love seeing the different species by visiting the Monkey River, cave tubing, and beautiful waterfalls.
All in all, I would say it’s pretty kid-friendly. I don’t think you’ll have to worry about seeing a bunch of drunk adults acting crazy. This would be the perfect spot for you to travel with your kids internationally for the first time since Belize is a 3-hour plane ride from Dallas. Since it’s not super busy, the kids shouldn’t get overwhelmed.
The street food is poppin’
We had some of the best food in Belize by street vendors. There are a plethora of street vendors around Belize. In San Pedro, you will know where to go by just following the aroma LOL.
In Caye Caulker one of the best-known vendors is Chef Kareem’s Unbelizeable Lunch. When we passed by, he had a queue waiting for his hot grilled food. The aroma coming from that grill smells so good it makes your mouth water. He was cooking up some lobster and chicken on the grill. Whew, it looked so good. We decided to wait until we walked around some and hung out a bit.
But, when we returned a few hours later, he was sold out of food! I was so sad, but the vendor right next to him was still open and serving the same type of food. I got some grub here and it was thebomb.com.
We also had a snack at another street vendor. My daughter and I tried some fresh Conch Frittas too.
Some of the best foods to try is Barbecue Chicken, Jerk Chicken, Rice and Peas, Conch Fritters, Curry Lobster, Tacos, Pupusas, Fry Jacks and Stew Chicken.
Go “Slow”
Another important things to know before traveling to Belize is what the vibes are of the Cayes and mainland. If you are taking a vacation to relax, unwind, and leave your worries behind, Belize is that girl okay!
The locals are enjoying life and not rushing like us in America. They move slow around here, hence their motto “Go Slow”. That’s not a bad thing. It just means they are embracing and living their life on their own time. Not worrying about a ting’.
All in all, Belize is the best laid-back vacation with Caribbean vibes, a relaxing atmosphere, with jungles, and beches. Hands down. Are you planning to travel to Belize soon? I’d love to hear about your vacation, comment below.
